Time recording clock



` JFeb. 4, 1958 W. F. RUCKER TIME RECORDING CLOCK Filed Jan, 22, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Feb. 4, 1958 w. F; RUCKER 2,822,233

TIME RECORDING CLOCK Filed Jan. 22, 195.3

l 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR A TT( )R NE YS www? Mz/m Feb. 4, 1958 w. F. RUCKER 2,822,233 -TIME RECORDING cLocx Filed Jan. 22, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR BY 7M ATTORNEYS United States Patent O TIME RECORDING CLOCK Walker F. Rucker, Greensboro, N. C. Application January 22, 1953, Serial No. 332,715

3 Claims. (Cl. 346-66) The present invention relates in general to time recording devices, and more particularly to portable time recorders.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a novel time recorder of simple construction, adapted to imprint figures on a time card in a manner facilitating computation of elapsed time between successive operations of the recorder.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel time recorder clock adapted to imprint the time of actuation of the recorder on a time card in a manner to facilitate computation of the elapsed time between successive actuations of the recorder.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel time recorder clock adapted to imprint the times of actuation of the recorder upside down on a time card and place the larger time signifying number above the small time signifying number to facilitate subtraction of the elapsed time.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel time recorder clock adapted to imprint the times of actuation in units of minutes or thousandths of a day and arrange the imprinted times reversely so as to print the times upside down and dispose the larger time indicating number above the small indicating number in proper order for ease of subtraction when the imprinted time card is inverted.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the present invention Will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures.

Figure l is a front view of a recorder embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation of a time card imprinted by the time recorder in the novel manner facilitating calculation of elapsed times;

Figure 3 is a section view of the recorder taken through the casing to disclose the mechanism in front elevation; and

Figure 4 is a section view taken through the casing disclosing the operating mechanism in side elevation.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures, a time recorder generally indicated at is provided with a removable casing 11 having a clock face 12 in the front face thereof and a slit 13 to permit insertion of a time card. The casing 11 is removably secured to a rbase plate 14 by suitable clamping means, which base plate 14 is fastened to another plate 15 and spaced therefrom by bolts 16 surrounded by suitable spacers.

A marine escapement comprising a well known clock mechanism is journaled between plate and a plate 17 parallel thereto and spaced forwardly thereof, together with a pair of drums 18 and 19 each containing spring motor drive mechanism which are wound for driving in rif *a 2,822,233 Ice Patented Feb. 4, 1958 opposite directions. The spring drum 18 carries a gear 20 which meshes with a gear 21 fixed to a shaft 22. Spring drum 19 has a gear 23 which drives a gear 24 on shaft 25. Thus shafts 22 and 25 are driven in opposite directions by the spring motor drive mechanism contained in drums 18 and 19, respectively.

An escapement wheel 26 provided with equally spaced square peripheral notches 26a is mounted on the shaft 22 and cooperates with bent over lugs 27 of a disc 28 freely mounted on shaft 25. A gear 29 is likewise fixedly mounted on shaft 2S driven by the spring motor 19 which in turn meshes with a gear 3u loosely mounted on shaft 22. Gear 31 is formed integrally with gear 30 and meshes with gear 32 carried by the disc 28, which thereby imparts movement to the disc 23 and lugs 27 to cause the lugs 27 to pass intermittently through the notches 26a of the escapement wheel 26. While the escapement wheel 26 is continuously driven at a slow rate of speed, disc 28 is permitted to step only intermittently a distance corresponding to the space between lugs 27 when one of the notches 26a comes into alignment with a lug 27. The spring motor 18, which furnishes the driving power tor the escapement wheel 26 through the shaft 22, may be placed under control of any suitable clock escapement mechanism.

Gear 29 is intercoupled with gear 33 through an internal ratchet mechanism providing for an accurate step of movement of the gear 33 equal to one-sixtieth of one complete revolution of the gear 33, insuring even minute positioning of the minute hand 34 mounted on the shaft 35 to which the gear 33 is fixed. This ratchet mechanism is specifically disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,340,769 issued February l, 1944, and forms no part of the present invention.

The shaft 35 is also connected through suitable reduction gearing 36 and sleeve 37 to the hour hand 38.

Gear 33 meshes with an intermediate gear 39 which in turn meshes with a gear 40 to drive type wheel units 41 and 42, the gear 40 directly driving the first type wheel immediately to each side thereof, and the remainder of the type wheels being driven through well known transfer mechanism which form no part of the present invention, but which, in accordance with conventional construction drive the next successive type wheel through a preselected arc for each revolution of the type wheel imparting drive thereto.

Further description of a type wheel drive mechanism that may be employed may be had by reference to U. S. Patent No. 2,346,273.

The group of type wheels designated by the reference character 41 are preferably arranged to indicate the day of the week, a. m. or p. m., and the hour and minute, the type wheel 43 being the minute wheel, the type wheel 44 being the tens of minutes wheel and having the number of zero to five thereon, the wheel 45 being the hour wheel and having the numbers one to twelve thereon, and wheel 46 being the day of the week and a. m.-p. m. wheel. The group of type wheels 4i, therefore, are designed to indicate the day of the week, a. m. or p. m. and the exact hour and minute at which the time recorder clock is actuated.

The group of type wheels 42 which are also driven from the gear 46 by the same type transfer mechanism is preferably arranged to imprint the time of actuation of the device in terms of elapsed minutes 0f a twenty-four hour day, and to this end is designed to print numbers one through fourteen hundred forty. The type wheel 47 which is directly connected to the gear 40 is the minute wheel, the type wheel 48 is the tens of minutes wheel and carries numbers zero to nine, and the type wheel zero to 'fourteenthereon The groups of type wheels i1 and 42 are designed to imprint times on a time card such yas thecard 50 shown in "Figure 2, by inserting the time card 'in 'the slot 13 until 'the leitlhand edge S1 of the time card abuts the stop 13 at the rear of the slot 13. This locates the time card so that .the type wheels 43, 434i, 265 and 46 imprint the day, a. m. or p. m., and the time in units of hours and minutes in a rstvertical column 52 at the left-hand end of the card 523. The type wheels d'7, i8 and :19, the respective figures of which denote minutes, tens of min` utes and hundreds of minutes, and are stepped in minute intervals throughout a twenty-four hour day in synchronism with the type wheel 41, imprint numbers in a second vertical column 53 of the time card '50, the imprinted time of actuation in minutes 'being lprinted upside down and in .reverse order relative to the imprinted time in the column 52.

Alternating in and out transverse columns 54 are arranged on the Vcard 5%, and are individually lined up with a center marker such as the raised rib 11 on the front face of the casing 11 so as to imprint the downwa'rdly disposed figures on the groups of type wheels 41 and 42 on the proper transverse column of the time card.

Since the numbers on the type wheels 42 progress from zeroto fourteen hundred forty in accordance with passage of minutes throughout a day from twelve mid-night to twelve mid-night, the number printed inversely and upside down in column 53 of the out column 55 will be greater than the number printed in inversely and upside down in column 53 of the in column 54 so that the numbers are in proper arrangement to lpermit direct subtraction and determine the number of minutes elapsed between the two times when the card is inverted. The sets of in and out" columns 54 and 55 are therefore separated by transverse columns 56 to permit the subtraction to be made and entered for ease of calculation of total Working time on the time card,

While 'but one specic embodiment of the invention has been particularly shown and described, it is apparent that various modifications may oe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art and set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a time recording clock for recording times of arrival and departure on a time card, a casing having a slot Ifor 'reception of the time card, first type means disposed -relative to .said slot to imprint on the time card the time of insertion of the card in said slot, second type means for simultaneously imprinting in inverted relation to said first type means the time of insertion ofthe card `in said slot in units of elapsed minutes of the day to dispose the later imprint of a successive pair of imprints of said second type means in erect position above the earlier imprint of said pair when the imprinted card is inverted for direct subtraction of elapsed time between said pair of imprints, and means for advancing said iirst and second type means in steps of one minute.

2. In a time `recording clock for recording times of arrival and departure on a time card, a casing having a slot for reception of the time card, va :irstrgroup of type wheels disposed relative to said slot to imprint the time of day of 'insertion of the time card therein, a second group ot type wheels for simultaneously imprinting be side and in inverted relation to an imprint from said first type wheel the time of insertion of the card in said slot in units of elapsed minutes of the day to dispose the later imprint of a successive pair of imprints from said second type wheels in erect position above the earlier imprint of said pair when the imprinted card is inverted for direct substraction of elapsed time between said pair of imprints, and clock means intercoupled with each of said groups of type wheels for driving said `type wheels in steps of one minute.

'3. ln a time recording clock, for recording times of arrival and departure on a time card, a casing having a slot for reception of the 'time card, a iirst group of type wheels including minutes, tens of minutes, hour and day Wheels Adisposed relative to said slot to imprint the time and day of insertion of the time card therein, a second group of ltype wheels including minutes, tens of minutes and hundreds of vminutes wheels 'having type tace thereon Vfor simultaneously imprinting beside and in inverted relation to v'imprints from said iirst ,group of type wheels the time of insertion of the card in said slot in units of elapsed minutes of the day to relatively arrange the rst and second 'imprint o'f a successive pair of imprints Vfrom said ,second group of type Wheels to form respectively a subtrahend and minuend of iigures arranged for subtraction when the imprinted card is inverted, means intercoupling the type wheels of each of said groups with the minutes type wheel thereof to drive the remaining type wheels o f each ,group from said minutes wheels, and single clockmeans intercoupled with minutes wheels of ,each of said groups of type wheels for advancing said minutes wheels in steps of `one minute.

References ACited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,432,627 Shenstone 1Oct. 17, 1922 1,676,629 Boos July 10, 1928 v2,048,052 Barnes July 21, V1936 2,137,013 Bradley -..1 1- Nov. 15, 1938 2,340,769 Rast Feb f1, 1944 

